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Do you let the competition drive your marketing messages? Or the type of marketing activities that you do? Do you feel that your marketing efforts are all about “keeping up with the Joneses?”

If so, you’re not alone. We all do it from time to time, and I believe we usually do it out of fear.

Fear? Yes, fear. Here are a few examples of what I think all of us marketers fear:

Fear of standing out — So, we develop advertising and collateral material that feels like it fits with everyone else's.

Fear of sharing too much information — So, we justify using marketing jargon in our copy, instead of committing to hard facts and figures, because we don’t want our competition to know what we’re up to.

Fear of stirring the pot — So, we water-down our efforts with generic statements instead of the bold ones that will grab people’s attention.

Let me play devil’s advocate for a moment: A fear-based approach only results in marginal gains. Leading brands are innovative, and it’s difficult to come up with fresh ideas when you’re using the competition as your baseline. It’s time to stop playing it safe and be the leader that you are meant to be!